High school grades are the most important factor in college admissions

Other factors count — including, of course, a student’s ACT and SAT scores — but the body of work that a student has developed in high school is what matters most when college admissions counselors begin looking at a student’s admissions packet.

Colleges do not choose students by the numbers only—they don’t simply take the students with the highest grades and test scores. Colleges use many other factors to add depth to the numbers, and to compare applicants with each other to build a class that fits the college’s mission.

Students who meet or exceed the threshold for admission are, at selective colleges, evaluated based on all of the attributes they bring to campus, including special talents, academic interests, and personal characteristics.

What does this mean for your student? Being well-rounded is a key! Good test scores are important, as are good grades and the recommendations of teachers and counselors. College counselors are looking to build a vibrant, interesting and diverse campus community — finding a way to key into that desire (and presenting one’s self in the best possible light) can often be the key to an acceptance letter from a student’s college of choice.

Additional Factors
While colleges, on average, pay attention to the same types of factors, some colleges pay more attention to some factors than others.
College Size	Small colleges—Have a more “holistic” application review process, meaning they pay more attention to all of the facets of your application. Large colleges—Have a more “mechanical” application review process, meaning numbers (GPA, test scores) play a significant role in determining your initial qualification. In the case of open-admission or near-open admission colleges, that may be the extent of the process. At more selective large colleges, the initial qualification may be followed by a more holistic review of qualified applicants. Selective colleges—Both large and small selective colleges (meaning that the colleges accept fewer than half of students who apply) have a more “holistic” application review process.
Grades and GPAs	About two-thirds of high schools weight their GPAs for students who take college preparatory courses. To account for different grading scales among high schools, more than half of colleges recalculate applicants’ GPAs to standardize them.
Class Rank	Nearly one-third of high schools do not report class rank information to colleges. Accordingly, colleges have de-emphasized class rank as a factor in the admission decision over the past decade.
Essays	Do colleges take extra steps to catch cheating or plagiarism on essays? Many colleges that require essays will scrutinize essays that they believe have been forged, borrowed, or heavily edited or influenced by someone other than the applicant. In fact, some colleges have instituted their own verification processes, while others have contracted with businesses that double check essays for plagiarism. Given that many colleges view the essay as an indicator of a student’s interest in attending, it does not pay to have someone else write your essay.
Other Factors that Colleges May Consider	In order to shape their classes, colleges may consider other factors for admission, including a student’s geographic location (especially for public universities), whether a student is the first in their family to go to college (for access purposes), a student’s race or ethnicity (for diversity purposes), a student’s relation to alumni (for the purposes of development and community-sustenance), and gender (for purposes of reflecting the population).
Homeschooled Students	Colleges are more likely to rely on standardized test scores (ACT, SAT) for homeschooled students than for students from high schools, due to the lack of consistency across homeschooling environments. Sample College Statements about Homeschooled Applicants Princeton University University of New Hampshire University of Missouri

As you start your college search process, check out NACAC’s State of College Admission report. There, you will find a trusted source of information about the application process without the hype that often surrounds coverage of college admission.

If you need more information, or want to discuss your student’s college plans with a certified counselor, contact Stacey Caskey at Biltmore Tutoring.

High school grades are the most important factor in college admissions

Additional Factors

College Size

Grades and GPAs

Class Rank

Essays

Other Factors that Colleges May Consider

Homeschooled Students

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